1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of optical media. More particularly, the invention relates to time sensitive disposable optical media.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Optical disks such as CDs and DVDs are sold and rented to consumers for use at home. The content of the optical disks may be music, movies, software or data. Unfortunately, the purchase of CDs and DVDs can be expensive. The cost is associated not primarily with the manufacturing cost of the optical disks, but with the value of the information, such as movies or software, encoded on the disks. Content providers, such as movie studios or software companies, do not want to sell at a low cost copies of their material that will have a long lifetime in the marketplace. Rentals of CDs and DVDs enable consumers to access the information at a lower cost, but the need to return the rentals on time is inconvenient. It would be desirable to have an optical media (e.g., disk) that the user could purchase at a low cost, would address the concerns of the content providers about lifetime of their content in the marketplace, and which would not have the disadvantage of having to be returned, as is the case with videotape movie rentals today. It would also be desirable to manufacture such an optical disk at low cost and with minimum changes to existing optical disk manufacturing processes.
CDs and DVDs are generally manufactured according to the following process. This information was downloaded from the web site of Disctronics Manufacturing (UK) Ltd., Southwater Business Park, Southwater, West Sussex, England on Jan. 26, 1999, and has been slightly edited.
3. CD Mastering
Mastering of CDs and CD-ROMs is a complex process needed to create a stamper (used to mould the CDs) from the premastered data. The processes are carried out in a class 1,000 clean room. Operators wear special clothing including face masks and footwear to minimize any particles.
4. Glass Master Preparation
Glass Master Preparation of the 240 cm diameter 6 mm thick glass master starts by stripping the old photo resist from its surface (since the glass blanks can be recycled). This is followed by cleaning and final washing using de-ionized water. The blank master is then dried carefully ready for the next stage.
The surface of the clean glass master is then coated with a primer and then a photo resist layer 140 to 150 microns thick by spin coating. The thickness should be matched to the molding cycle time. Shorter cycle times imply a thicker resist layer to ensure good pit geometry. The uniformity of the layer is measured with an infra red laser.
The photo resist coated glass master is then baked at about 80° C. for 30 minutes. This hardens the photo resist layer ready for exposing by laser light.
(a) Laser Beam Recording
A Laser Beam Recorder (LBR) is used to expose the photoresist layer on the glass master where the final pits are required.
This is carried out in a class 100 controlled environment using a high power gas laser directly from the premastered source audio or CD-ROM data. The laser can be blue, violet or (for DVD and CD mastering) ultra violet. The laser beam is modulated to expose the photoresist where pits should be while the glass master spins at exactly the correct linear velocity and is moved gradually and smoothly to maintain the correct track pitch and linear velocity.
The LBR is controlled by a PC based system which formats the data from the source CD, U-matic or Exabyte tape with the CIRC error protection and EFM modulation. If an error occurs which cannot be corrected during mastering the controller will abort recording.
Speed of laser beam recording depends on the machine and input media. At one time when every CD was audio, U-matic was the only media used and only allow single speed mastering. Other newer media allow faster mastering up to 4 times, with even faster speeds possible. The following table summarizes the mastering speeds for different media.
InputMedia SpeedCommentsU-matic (1630)  1xStill in use but is graduallybeing phased out.Audio data is often transferredoffline to a fasterformat before masteringDAT  1xNot a preferred format for masteringCD  4xFaster if LBR capableCD-R  4xDepends on quality of CD-R mediaused and speed of LBR8 mm Exabyte 85002.8xMax speed of Exabyte8 mm Eliant 820  4xFaster if LBR capableHard disk  4xFaster if LBR capable
The absolute limit of speed is dictated by the robustness of the glass. For 240 mm glass plates, the practical limit is around 6×for CD mastering.
Network mastering is a new development whereby the data content of Exabytes, CDs etc (containing the audio or other data) is transferred to a server and mastering carried out from this data (which can be checked prior to mastering) via a high speed network. Several LBRs can be connected to the network and mastering jobs can be scheduled in advance. The result is higher speed, more reliable mastering.
(b) Development & Metallization
The exposed photoresist surface is developed to remove the photoresist exposed by the laser and therefore create pits in the surface. These pits should extend right through the photoresist to the glass underneath to achieve good pit geometries as specified in the Red Book. The glass itself is unaffected by this process and acts merely as a carrier for the photoresist.
The active surface (i.e. containing pits) of the developed glass master is then metallized either with nickel or nickel alloy created by sputtering or with silver by evaporation. If nickel or nickel alloy is used this becomes part of the Father which is created by electroforming so the pit geometry is maintained. If silver is used, the nickel Father is grown on top of the silver resulting in some distortion of the pit shapes, but this is not usually enough seriously to impair the resultant pits.
(c) Electroforming
This involves creating nickel fathers, mothers and stampers by electroforming in a class 1000 clean room environment.
The father is electroformed from the metallized glass master and then the surface containing the ‘bumps’ is oxidized ready for the next stage. (This allows the mother to be separated from the father).
The mother is then electroformed from the father and is an essential intermediate stage from which the stamper(s) are then electroformed in a similar way.
After the mother has been created, the father can then be used as a stamper. Only mothers are needed for subsequent stampers. Additional stampers are created for long runs of CDs.
The photoresist on the glass master is then removed and the glass cleaned ready to be used again. If silver is used, it is recovered and recycled.
(d) Stamper Finishing
When the stamper has been electroformed from the mother, it requires finishing before any discs can be replicated from it.
Each stamper is checked visually, the back polished, it is punched to the required outside diameter, a hole accurately punched in the center and finally it is checked on a stamper player before being fitted to the press.
Stamper finishing is an important stage as it will affect the quality of the final disc. The center hole must be accurately cut to avoid eccentricity which could affect the playability of CD-ROMs using modern high speed CD-ROM drives. Also the stamper thickness must be uniform to avoid unbalance problems in the finished discs.
Finished stampers are stored in protective plastic packages ready to be fitted to a molding machine.
5. CD Replication & Printing
CD Replication Overview
Compact Discs, whether audio or CD-ROM, are manufactured in the same way using the following processes:                Injection molding of the clear polycarbonate discs using a hydraulic press.        Metalising to create an aluminum reflective surface        Lacquering to protect the back of the reflective surface        Printing of the disc label on top of the lacquer.        
(a) Replication Lines
The replication of CDs in the past has been carried out using batch processes where each stage of the process uses a different machine. In the last few years integrated replication lines have become the norm. Examples of such machines are:
Single-Line
A complete replication line comprising molding machine, metallizer, lacquer unit, printer (normally 3 color) and inspection. Good and bad discs are transferred to different spindles. Finished discs are removed on spindles for packing.
An alternative to this does not include a printer. This allows a new job to continue without being stopped while the printer is being setup.
Dual-Line
A replication line comprising two molding machines, metallizer, lacquer unit and inspection. This provides a better match between molding machine and downstream equipment cycle times and is currently the most flexible solution. Each molding machine can run different titles, the discs being separated after inspection and placed on different spindles. Also called Duoline.
(b) Injection Molding
Optical grade polycarbonate is ‘baked’ to remove any moisture and is injection molded in a high pressure molding machine (press) using the stamper mounted in the mould fixed to the press. This mould is in two parts and provides a cavity which ensures that perfectly molded discs are produced with the correct dimensions every time. One half of the mould contains the stamper while the other half contains the mirror block to ensure a smooth surface.
The hydraulic press applies a force to the two halves of the mould which are closed. Molten polycarbonate is then injected into the cavity and held in place by the applied pressure while the disc cools and solidifies. Pressed discs, after cooling, are transferred by robot arms to a spindle for the next stage in the process.
Successful molding of CDs which meet the CD specification, require stable processes with the machines setup correctly. Molding parameters which can affect the resultant CD include stamper geometry, mould temperature, polycarbonate temperature, compression force and cycle time.
Cycle times for injection molding have decreased substantially from over 10 seconds some 10 years ago to under 4 seconds for the latest presses and moulds. Cycle times of under 3 seconds are also becoming possible.
(c) Metallizing
The polycarbonate discs after molding are transparent. In order that the laser can read the pits they need to be covered by a mirror surface to reflect the laser light.
The next stage is therefore to metalize the active surface of each disc with aluminum by sputtering. Sputtering requires the transparent polycarbonate discs to be transferred to the sputtering chamber which is then quickly evacuated of air and filled with argon gas. The argon ions are attracted to the aluminum target by the use of a high voltage. As the ions strike the target, particles of aluminum are ejected and are deposited onto the CD surface.
Modern metalizers are capable of cycle times of under 2 seconds allowing them to be used in duolines where one metallizer can handle the output from two molding machines. The fastest metallizers can achieve cycle times of 1.5 seconds.
(d) Lacquering
The back of the aluminum layer is protected by a lacquer which is spread as a liquid evenly across the surface of the disc by spin coating. The centrifugal force created by spinning the disc ensures that the lacquer covers the whole disc in an even layer.
It is important that the lacquer overlaps the aluminum therefore sealing it from the elements. If left exposed, aluminum will start to oxidize within a few days.
The lacquer is cured by ultra-violet (UV) light producing a hard protective surface. The discs are then ready for printing.
Lacquering involves two steps in the spin-coating process, lacquer deposition and spin-off. Cycle times of under 2 seconds are normally achieved by either splitting the two steps into two stations or using two spin coating stations.
(e) Label Printing
The upper surface of a finished disc is printed with up to five colors by a flat silk screen process. Each color requires a different screen created from label films produced as color separations from the artwork. Each color is printed using a squeegee which pushes the ink through the mesh of the screen on to the disc surface. The inks are then cured using UV light to produce a durable surface.
For picture discs five colors are needed. These are white for the base, plus cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK). Very high quality printing can be achieved using modern printing machines, which are capable of speeds of 70 discs per minute or faster.
Automatic checks are carried out during this stage to ensure that all discs being printed carry the correct catalogue number which is placed on the disc hub during mastering.
6. DVD Manufacture
DVD discs are more difficult to manufacture than CDs, requiring new, purpose designed equipment rather than upgraded equipment. DVD discs are different from CDs in the following ways:                Shallower pits and smaller pit size        Smaller track pitch and tighter tolerances        Higher mastering speeds, both in angular and linear velocity and data rate        New data formatting requirements        Thinner disc substrates to mould        Tighter tolerances on tilt and jitter in particular        Additional bonding stage        Dual layer and double sided options        
(a) DVD Mastering
The differences between DVD and CD means that much of the mastering process for DVD needs new equipment including improved glass master preparation, laser beam recording and developing. The photo-resist layer should, ideally be about 120 nm in thickness (instead of 140 nm for CD) but successful mastering using the same thickness as for CDs is possible. Any defects or variations in thickness of this layer must be kept very small. Laser beam recording requires a smaller spot size, higher numerical aperture and tighter tolerances than for CDs. Many LBRs designed for DVD mastering use a UV laser (instead of the blue or violet laser used for CDs). To handle CD and DVD mastering, it is necessary to change the numerical aperture from 0.6 for CD to 0.9 for DVD mastering.
DVD data is formatted differently from CDs and requires new formatting hardware/software to handle the RSPC error correction, 8 to 16 modulation and the higher channel data rate.
Stamper finishing requires more care than for CDs, since tilt (variations in flatness of the final disc) is critical for DVD.
DVD-9 (dual layer) discs require the upper layer (layer 1) to be mastered with the turntable rotating in the reverse direction. Also, the direction of writing will be either from the inside to outside (parallel track) or outside to inside (opposite track), depending on the application requirements.
CSS (Content Scrambling System) copy protection is carried out at the mastering stage. The data on DLT is combined with the encrypted keys and the audio and video data scrambled using the keys which are hidden on the DVD disc.
(b) DVD Replication
DVD-5 and DVD-10 were the first discs to be manufactured. DVD-9 has proved to be considerably more difficult and there is a shortage in manufacturing capacity for these dual layer discs. All DVD discs comprise two substrates each 0.6 mm thick and molded separately.                For DVD-5 discs, the active substrate is metallized and then bonded with the blank, non-metallized substrate.        For DVD-10, both substrates are metallized        For DVD-9 discs two metalization layers are required, one being semi-reflective, using gold or silicon. Parameters such as tilt, bonding layer transparency etc are more severe for DVD-9. Also the layer 1 aluminum layer must be uniform in thickness to avoid jitter.        
DVD molding is similar to CD molding but with some important differences.                Two pressings are needed for each final DVD disc        Each half disc (substrate) is 0.6 mm thick instead of 1.2 mm        The thinner disc also requires different molding parameters, such as a shorter injection time and higher mould temperature.        
In general, new or redesigned mounding machines are needed for DVD.
(c) DVD Bonding
Bonding is one of the most difficult parts of the process. There are a number of possible solutions.                Hot melt bonding is the method used for Laserdiscs where the two substrates just need to be glued together. It is also suitable for single layer (single or double sided) DVDs. The process is simple and relatively inexpensive.        Radical UV Cured bonding is suitable for dual layer discs because it is transparent. It involves coating one or both of the substrates with a UV cured resin similar to normal lacquer.        Cationic UV Bonding involves screen printing the resin over both substrates, curing each with UV light and then pushing the discs together. This method is not suitable for dual layer discs as the resin used is opaque.        
Disctronics use Radical UV Cured bonding which is compatible with all DVD formats. DVD-9 bonding is particularly difficult as the bonding layer must                be of uniform thickness within close tolerances        be optically transparent with no defects such as bubbles        not introduce tilt outside the DVD specification        
(d) DVD Disc Finishing
Finishing comprises label printing, for which there are a number of options, and adding the Burst Cutting Area.
Printing optionsDVD 5DVD 9DVD 10Normal printing on upper surfaceYesYesNoOf disc (like CDs)Printing on inside surface ofYesNoNoblank substrate to give smooth‘glossy’ effectPit Art where a holograph likeYesNoNoImage is molded into the blankSubstratePrinting on both sides but only——YesWithin hub area
Burst Cutting Area (BCA) is an annular area within the disc hub where a bar code can be written for additional information such as serial numbers.
DVD Quality Assurance
DVD inspection and testing requires the use of some different techniques, new parameters to be tested and new readers.                DVD glass mastering must be checked using a DVD stamper player to check the stamper prior to replication.        DVD inspection is similar to CD inspection but includes tilt. Discs must be inspected after bonding as this stage can introduce tilt and other defects. DVD-10 discs need inspection of both top and bottom of each disc.        DVD bit verification needs new equipment to read the data.        DVD measurements again need new equipment plus new and modified tests.        
7. CD Packaging
There is a wide range of packaging available for audio CDs and CD-ROMs                Jewel case (the most common) comprises a transparent plastic case with hinged lid, a plastic tray, inlay card and booklet.        Slimline cases, a slimmer version with no tray, for audio singles.        Card wallets and many other cases available.        A range of outer packaging is used particularly for CD-ROM discs e.g. to hold a printed manual.        
(a) Machine Packing
Discs are packed in standard jewel or slimlines cases with paper parts by automated machines and overwrapped and packed into boxes as required.                The machine automatically takes each case and opens it ready for the disc to be inserted.        A robot arm transfers the printed discs from spindles and places them in the opened cases.        Booklets are fed to the machine by another robot arm and placed in the jewel cases. Some machines are capable of handling two booklets per CD.        The packaged CD can have stickers automatically added and, optionally, can be over-wrapped.        
Machines operate at speeds up to 100 CDs per minute or more. For smooth operation at these speeds it is essential that cases and paper parts adhere to the specified dimensions and other physical properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,484 to Smith, et al. issued on Sep. 29, 1998 discloses a composition and method for meeting the needs stated in the Utility section above.
To quote Smith et al., the currently used optical disk systems operate as follows:
In a typical optical disk for use in a computer's optical readout system, data is stored as a series of lands and pits. This is accomplished by stamping along spiral tracks on a transparent plastic disk, overlaying this with a reflective coating, and thereafter superimposing a protective layer over this coating. Light from a semi-conductor laser is directed toward the lands and pits from below and the reflected light impinges upon a photodetector which converts the presence or absence of the pits into a binary electrical signal. Because the focused laser spot is so minute, the amount of information that can be stored onto the surface of the disk is immense. Adjacent tracks need only be spaced apart by approximately 1.6 microns and, hence, approximately 40,000 tracks may be available on a conventional 120 mm diameter (5 inch) optical disk. The electrical signals delivered to the optical readout system correspond to the magnitude of reflected light which either increases or decreases due to interference and/or diffraction by the preformatted data structures.
Smith et al accomplish the goals stated above by placing an additional layer over the protective layer. Again, quoting Smith:
More particularly, an optical disk is provided which is adapted for use in an optical readout system of a computer that includes a light source operative to produce an interrogating beam of light for reading data structures. Broadly, the optical disk according to the present invention includes a substrate and a metallic layer encoded with information stored as a plurality of data structures that are readable by the interrogating beam of light. The substrate is disposed in a confronting relationship with the metallic layer, and a film of a reactive compound is superimposed over at least some of these data structures. The reactive compound is selected to be of a type which is operative to change physical characteristics in response to a selected stimulus, thereby to affect readability of the data by the interrogating beam.
The reactive compound is disposed between the light source's interrogating beam and the metallic layer. This reactive compound may be interposed between the substrate and the metallic layer and have a thickness in a range of 0.1-10 microns, and preferably 1-5 microns. Alternatively, it may be disposed on an outer surface of the substrate. The metallic layer is preferably contoured to include a sequence of pits and lands which define the plurality of data structures, with the reactive compound superimposed over at least some of these pits and lands.
The selected stimulus to which the reactive compound responds is selected to be either visible light, infrared light, an ambient environment containing light and oxygen, or simply air. Where the stimulus is light alone, the reactive compound may be a photoreactive material and preferably one selected from a spiropyran class of photochromic compounds—for example, 6-nitro-1′3′3′-trimethylspiro-(2H-1benzothiopyran-2,2′-indoline), or 6-nitro-1-S-BIPS for short, and other related compounds.
Where the stimulus is a combination of light and oxygen, the reactive compound would therefore be photoreactive with oxygen and preferably operate to change its physical characteristics in response to an interrogating beam of light having a wavelength of approximately 650 nanometers (nm), which is encountered with digital versatile disk (DVD) readers.
Where the environmental stimulus is simply air, the reactive compound may be one which is operative after an accumulated duration of time to oxidize and alter an optical characteristic thereof. For example, such a reactive compound would change from an optically transparent condition to an optically opaque condition wherein it absorbs light having a wavelength within a desired range. This wavelength could be either 650 nanometers (nm), as discussed above, but may also be approximately 780 nanometers (nm). The oxidizing reactive compound may be selected from a group of dyes consisting of methylene blue, brilliant cresyl blue, basic blue 3 and toluidine blue 0.
Smith et al also teach packaging of the disk in an inert environment:
For example, such an optical disk would preferably be contained in a package in the form of an aluminum bag coated with polyethylene. Within the hermetic packaging would be an inert gaseous environment, such as argon or dry nitrogen.
Heretofore, the requirements of low cost, limited content lifetime, avoidance of rental returns and minimum changes to existing manufacturing precesses referred to above have not been fully met. What is needed is a solution that simultaneously addresses all of these requirements. The invention is directed to meeting these requirements, among others.